Chaca Chacas and KH

[LadyMinion]

OK, I'm no expert on advanced water chemistry, but I noticed something today that I've not seen mentioned before. I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts/ideas on this theory.

As you may know, Chaca Chaca catfish seem to have the unusual ability to lower the PH of their immediate area. In the wild, it is not known how this could be of benefit in large bodies of water, but in the aquarium it can provide quite drastic results. There's an excellent article documenting this here.

While I was doing various water tests, I noticed one other variable had changed. In all my tanks, the KH is particularly high at 20ºd. However, in the Chaca tank it was 3ºd - that's quite a change. What concerns me is that apparantly at this level, PH can be lowered by the nitrite cycle, specifically nitrates. And guess what? We suffer from abnormally high nitrates here straight out of the tap!

So, it's my deduction that the Chaca Chaca does not in fact lower the PH at all. Rather, it lowers the KH causing a drastic PH drop should there be high nitrates in the system.

Any thoughts/opinions/ideas? Is my theory completely wacko?

 

[balloon molly]

no it makes sense i heard of another fish that can later the PH i forgot the name though

 

[blue_ram]

So, it's my deduction that the Chaca Chaca does not in fact lower the PH at all. Rather, it lowers the KH causing a drastic PH drop should there be high nitrates in the system.

Actually, the only way to lower KH is by adding acidic substance; that way, most of the acid buffers are used up. Your hypothesis may be valid, if you can prove that the fish STOPS secreting acid once the KH reaches a certain point.

But my guess is that it's not the case. As the fish continues to secrete acidic substance, the pH will drop rather quickly. Nitric acid, and other organic acid will have little impact compared to what the fish produces.

May be the fish is generating low voltage electricity (negative ions)? After all, definition of acid is "an electron donor".

EDIT: Either that or the fish pisses acid.

 

[CFC]

The main theory is that Chaca chaca lowers pH in the tank by regurgitating small ammounts of their extreemly powerful stomach acids (Chaca owners will comfirm that they never produce solid wastes as they digest their prey completely) why they should do this i dont know but this would account for the organic acids needed to break calcium acid buffers.
I have had my own Chaca lower the pH to 4 which was low enough to instantly kill the feeders i added for it, i never checked the KH but wish i had now but the pH dropping that low indicates that the KH could have been 0.

 

[SirMinion]

May be the fish is generating low voltage electricity (negative ions)? After all, definition of acid is "an electron donor".

Interesting point. Come on someone! is there anyone out there doing a PHD on biology/zoology/icthyology or some thing like that who would like to make Chacas the subject of proper research?

Either that or the fish pisses acid.

maybe they have concentrated acid for blood, in which case I'd better look out for a knock on my door from Sigourney Weaver sometime soon....

 

[Shark_Lover]

could happen....never know....